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My current edition of the etudes is starting to fall apart, and since it's the schirmer edition anyways I was considering buying another edition instead of getting it rebound....I was looking at the henle editions on amazon and found multiple different types....anyone able to tell me the difference? I found the urtext, the music folio, and the study score editions all by henle, and I'm not sure what the difference and distinction is between them to know which I want to purchase.

Mark_C
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Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 21045
Loc: New York

It's a little hard to get (the only place I've been able to get that edition from is Theodore Presser and they're sometimes out of stock for a while) and it's also expensive -- but so is Henle. I think the National is the one that's most worth getting -- if you can.

You should get the Ekier edition. I had the complete Chopin works in Schirmer, then I "upgraded" to Henle, but then I discovered the Ekier edition. I'm currently replacing all of my Henle with the Ekier, and I currently own the Ballades, Sonates, and Etudes in this edition. It's rather pricey, but it's worth it. You can tell the engraving isn't done by hand though, and it's slightly harder to read than the Henle (I think I only notice that because I stare at various Henle editions from 6+ hours daily). With that aside, the scholarship alone makes it worth it. Here are a couple of places that you can get it:

I have been wanting the Ekier Edition for sure. I have some of his music in Schirmer, and the etudes I have a Dover Edition with the preludes, as well as the Cortot edition. Which I love reading all the intro and exercises before each etude.

My only problem with the National Edition (compared to the Henle) is that the (only) two copies I have are not bound well and they resist lying flat on the music stand. Don't take that to imply that I think all National Edition Chopin scores have this flaw. For most of us who are not ultimate Chopin scholars, shouldn't the Henle Urtext suffice and - in some cases - win over because of its greater "user friendliness?" It depends one one's priorities, I guess.

My other big complaint about the new National Edition (Ekier) - and this is not an issue with the Etudes - is that they have two "Series": Series A : Works published during Chopin's lifetime and Series B : Works published posthumously.

This means that if you want all four of the Impromptus, all the Waltzes, all the Mazurkas and all the Polonaises, you have to buy two volumes for each genre; a total of eight volumes whereas other publishers will give these same works to you in four.

I paid $43.95US for the Polonaises, Series A, but never bothered to check the price of the Series B volume of the Polonaises. This production quirk, to me, just smacks of publisher's greed.

The Henle "study scores" are small-print (pocket-book size) versions of the standard-sized scores, meant for ease of handling while studying the score (from a recording or during a performance) but not practical to be played from.

If you're replacing the etudes because your edition fell apart, I'd stay away from Henle. All my Henles that have gotten heavy use are in shambles. I have the Alfred's Masterworks edition of the Etudes. It's held up great and is easy to read. I like it better that Dover ed or Paderewski editions that I have.

If you're replacing the etudes because your edition fell apart, I'd stay away from Henle. All my Henles that have gotten heavy use are in shambles. I have the Alfred's Masterworks edition of the Etudes. It's held up great and is easy to read. I like it better that Dover ed or Paderewski editions that I have.

Strange observation - to me. My Henle Chopin Etudes was purchased in 1970 as was my Henle WTC, Bk I. Both have had constant use and both are still "sound as a dollar" - the dollar - or so - I paid for them then!

That said, I'll be the first to admit that publishing practices and techniques have changed over the years, but my new Henles seem just as stalwart and reliable as the old.

Mark_C
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Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 21045
Loc: New York

Originally Posted By: Minnesota Marty

....I vote for the National Edition. Aren't these the same as the Ekier editions? I believe they are one and the same....

Just to help clarify: YES.

The official name (I think) is National Edition, sometimes referred to as "Polish National Edition," which is what I usually call it, because I think it makes it more clear. Ekier is the chief editor, and so it's sometimes called the Ekier edition, which I think is clearer than "National Edition" too.

Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 21045
Loc: New York

Originally Posted By: BruceD

My only problem with the National Edition (compared to the Henle) is that the (only) two copies I have are not bound well and they resist lying flat on the music stand....

Interesting how different things are important or not for different people. I know that you've mentioned a number of times that this is a big consideration for you. I've never noticed such an issue with these Chopin volumes, and I certainly wouldn't say they're not bound well.

The "lying flat" thing is never much of a conscious issue for me with any scores, probably because I think nothing of bending the heck out of a volume to make it lie however I want it to; I almost don't notice that I'm doing it. Sometimes of course this makes the volume fall apart -- it has happened particularly with my Longo Scarlatti volumes -- but there has never been any such problem with these Chopin National Edition volumes.

If you're replacing the etudes because your edition fell apart, I'd stay away from Henle. All my Henles that have gotten heavy use are in shambles. I have the Alfred's Masterworks edition of the Etudes. It's held up great and is easy to read. I like it better that Dover ed or Paderewski editions that I have.

Strange observation - to me. My Henle Chopin Etudes was purchased in 1970 as was my Henle WTC, Bk I. Both have had constant use and both are still "sound as a dollar" - the dollar - or so - I paid for them then!

That said, I'll be the first to admit that publishing practices and techniques have changed over the years, but my new Henles seem just as stalwart and reliable as the old.

Regards,

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just pulled out my Henle Mendelssohn Ausgewahlte Kalvierwerke and it is really quite beat up. It had split down the middle and I had to use packing tape to put it back together. It's one of the thicker books, which I'm guessing is sewed together.

My Mozart Sonatas have held up better, but they haven't seen the same level of use.